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MONTEZEMOLO: "AFTER 60 YEARS THE SPIRIT OF FERRARI IS STILL THE SAME"
Rome - (Ign) -60 years have passed since the first car with the Black Colt on its boot, but "the spirit of Ferrari is still the same", according to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the chairman of the company from Maranello. The firm was established in 1947 by Enzo Ferrari, who always maintained his vocation as a builder of luxury and sports cars, achieving in both fields results perhaps unique in history of the world car industry. The range of activity of the company from Maranello, the only production facility of the Reds, is divided into two parts: the first closely linked to its founder, Enzo Ferrari, who died in 1988, the other characterised by the chairmanship of Montezemolo. Working alongside him is Jean Todt, who was appointed chief executive in October, after 13 years of managerial experience in the company.
Mr Chairman, how has Ferrari changed in the last 60 years?
Montezemolo: The spirit of Ferrari hasn't changed at all. Coming back to Maranello in 1991 as chairman, I wanted to see all the original values of exclusiveness, high-technology and passion which had made Ferrari into a legend to be confirmed by a company that needed to change its mindset. In other words, the company needed to stop looking back and project itself into the future with models that could respond to the expectations of a new customer and a Formula One team that could once more be victorious. These two goals have been achieved with great success and I am proud to say that the Ferrari of today is what Enzo Ferrari would have wanted. As chairman I will continue to work to ensure that the dream of our cars continues to seduce customers and fans all over the world.
The latest markets of the Reds range from China to Dubai. Is the Ferrari brand also an ambassador for Italy in the Far East?
Montezemolo: When, two years ago, Ferrari, the leading carmaker in the world, invited international journalists to drive around China, many of them were surprised to see that even in the most remote places the Chinese immediately recognised our cars and brand. I wasn't surprised by this because when you have been a leading name in car racing all over the world for the last 60 years, people tend to know and appreciate a brand which has always had the courage to take on the most difficult challenge, where the winners are praised but the losers receive no pity. The fact that Ferrari is so appreciated also in emerging markets, shows that the balance is clearly in our favour. Mr Chairman, what is the relationship between Ferrari and the American market, which in 2006 represented 29.8% of the total market for exports of cars from Maranello? Montezemolo: It is an historical and deep bond. America soon became Ferrari's leading market, and this position is consolidated every year not only, as one could imagine, in California, but in all the States, as well as in Canada. Our American customers are less interested in F1 but deeply admire the mastery with which Ferrari has always managed to combine technology with a typically Italian exclusive elegance in terms of style, details and interiors. In the United States, as by now in most of the countries in the world, we have set up a direct branch office so that we can be closer to our customers and guarantee that level of service and support that today are indispensable for a company that is, and wants to continue being, a leader.
2006 was a year of booming sales for the company from Maranello. What are your next goals and next markets?
Todt: The expression 'booming sales' is not in our dictionary. It is true that in 2006 Ferrari sold something like 5700 cars, but this record is not a boom, but rather the result of the careful management of the many requests that we receive for our models. I would like to remind you that the range of Ferrari products is the "youngest" on the market: the 612 Scaglietti is only 3 years old, the F430 coupé just over 2, the spider even younger, and deliveries of the 599 only began last summer. Demand for all of these models is greater than our production capacity. Therefore we try to satisfy demand in function of the markets, which number over 50 (52 to be precise) and of the waiting lists that we don't want to get too long. This naturally leads to a slight, but carefully managed increase in our sales. Thanks to the attention we dedicate to our products, linked with the strength of the Ferrari brand, demand is in constant growth. However this will not change our strategy, which is to maintain an exclusive status and a close relationship with our customers who, consequently, may not ever be too numerous.
Ferrari and Schumacher: a couple that has dominated F1 in recent years. What will happen in the post-Schumi period?
Todt: It is true that a relationship of extraordinary technical and human collaboration has been established between Ferrari and Schumacher. The German driver has known how to work with our engineers, testing at the wheel the technical innovations introduced and looking for the best performance results with them. He is still with us, and will help us in the season that is about to begin, even if his workplace will no longer be behind the wheel of a Formula One car. Ferrari is a team and the drivers that are part of it, Massa and Raikkonen, at the moment are working together for the best results. We know we can continue to be successful and we will do everything we can to confirm this conviction with results.
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